


right where you belong

by sunshineforthesoul



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, contains spoilers for 4.23, dex is nervous, nursey comforts him, post 4.23, they're super soft, uhhhh idk how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:22:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23552977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineforthesoul/pseuds/sunshineforthesoul
Summary: Dex has grown a lot since his Taddy Tour.Anyone with eyes could see that.It’s why Nursey has no doubts in his mind when he places his vote for William J. Poindexter as team captain.
Relationships: Derek "Nursey" Nurse & William "Dex" Poindexter, Derek "Nursey" Nurse/William "Dex" Poindexter
Comments: 34
Kudos: 245





	right where you belong

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was inspired by [this](https://randomnoteforfuturereference.tumblr.com/post/614861936548528128/regardless-of-his-initial-vote-if-he-has-the) post
> 
> also it’s not super shippy but just know that nurseydex is my whole heart and soul so they’re basically in love but it just doesn’t say it okay and if there are any errors or anything just pretend like there aren’t :) (i probably will be making minor edits in the next couple of days anyways)
> 
> check, please! and its characters belong to ngozi

Dex has grown a lot since his Taddy Tour. 

Anyone with eyes could see that. 

(Nursey would like to call his development the Grinch character arc, but he also doesn’t want to be the first to test his captain’s patience.)

His time at Samwell has sanded down his sharp edges, loosened the permanent scowl and tenseness in his shoulders, and replaced it with hands for baking and the air of a leader. 

His time at Samwell has hardened him, too, in all the right ways. It’s taught him to not stand for the toxicity of hockey culture, and to look out for his team. (No one missed the deliberately pointed check he delivered to that asshole who was bullying Bitty.) 

It’s why Nursey has no doubts in his mind when he places his vote for William J. Poindexter as team captain. 

It’s also why he’s not surprised to hear Dex’s name called at the banquet. 

He and Chowder are out of their seats in an instant and making their way up to Dex to congratulate him. 

Nursey slings his arm around Dex’s shoulder, and he must have not hidden his smug grin very well because Dex takes one look at him and goes, “What?”

“I am unaware of what you mean Poindexter,” Nursey says, blinking innocently. 

“You’ve got a look on your face like.” His eyes, which are already welling up with tears, widen. “You didn’t.”

Nursey can’t stop his grin from widening. “Use your words Dexy.”

“Nursey, you voted for me?” Disbelief coats his features. “I voted for Whiskey.”

And that’s what Dex doesn’t quite understand, because he doesn’t see what Nursey does.

He doesn’t realize that Nursey’s witnessed his growth, has seen the transformation not in days, but over months and years, and although they came in fragmented and fighting, they pushed through the debris and have risen up and out of it.

Freshman Nursey and freshman Dex weren’t who they wanted to be, nor who they should’ve been, for themselves and for each other, but to come downstairs now and run into Dex pulling cookies out of the oven, or sit at the kitchen table and work on homework together, or make frequent plans to spend time together is a monument to how far they’ve come and who they are now.

Nursey rolls his eyes. “You are the most brainwashed of all, Dex, of course I voted for you,” he replies, pulling him in a little closer.

Dex’s mouth presses into a thin line, and his shoulders shake as he attempts to contain his tears. “I love this stupid team.”

“Dex you’re gonna be such an awesome captain!” Chowder gushes. “I can’t wait for next year!”

Nursey laughs at the expression on Dex’s face, somewhere between shock and doubt, like he’s waiting for someone to rip the captaincy from his hands. 

“ _Chill_ Dex,” Nursey says. “You _earned_ this.”

  


__

* * *

  


There’s so much happening over the next couple of days, and with Bitty graduating, it starts to sink in that Dex has some pretty fucking big shoes to fill. 

If he’s being honest, it’s _terrifying._

His mind is still trying to convince him that this is a dream, that it was all some kind of master prank and someone like— like Chowder is actually the captain for next year, but the more days pass after the banquet, the more reality cements itself into place. 

He’s the new _captain_ of the Samwell Men’s Hockey Team.

Him. 

But _why?_ That’s the biggest question floating around in his head. _Why him out of all people?_

He doesn’t have Chowder’s spirit or Nursey’s composure and if they’re going based on the past, he doesn’t have the dynamic inspirational courage Bitty has. 

He’s just the guy who fixed the oven and whose baking can work as a sufficient substitute to Bitty’s. 

“I just don’t get it,” Dex says, pacing around his bungalow. 

“You’re still on this, huh?” Nursey asks.

“Yes! I need to know.”

“Dex.” Nursey sits up, swinging his legs over the side of Dex’s bed. “Do you care about the team?”

“What?” Dex squints at him. “Absolutely.” 

“Are you going to do your best to lead the team?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to keep baking next year?”

Dex snorts. “I think they’d all revoke their votes if I didn’t.”

“Look. You’re reliable. You’ve got this fire in you like no one I’ve ever seen, and believe it or not, the younger members really look up to you.” Dex has ceased his pacing, and is staring very intently at Nursey. “You work so hard and you care so much and if you could just see what I can see, you’d know.”

Dex’s mouth hangs open, and all he can do is blink stupidly at him. “I... Thank you,” he says softly. “I appreciate that.”

Nursey smiles and it hits Dex like he’s run smack into a brick wall.

He doesn’t _have_ to do this alone.

  


__

* * *

  


It just makes sense, really. 

Nursey grounds him and more often than not, it’s him Dex goes to when he feels like the world is shifting underneath his feet. 

Nursey understands him in a way that no one else does, and perhaps it’s their history of fighting and hostility and bringing out the worst in each other that flips them into being able to bring out the best in each other, because that’s exactly what they do.

Dex knows what type of player Nursey is, can read the subtle signals he gives off, can feel him on the ice even when he can’t see him. And he’ll be able to run things by Nursey, who’ll give it to him straight and make sure that what he envisions in his head would translate appropriately onto the ice. 

Not only that, but Nursey can help him in a non-hockey way. The idea of getting interviewed and having to represent the whole team with carefully crafted sentences and not present as faltering or uncertain is something Dex is positive Nursey would excel at. With a little bit of guidance from Nursey, and at times, direct involvement, he could handle the publicity piece.

Said plainly, he needs Nursey. More than he would be willing to admit in other circumstances. 

Nursey is his support system, and if Dex is gonna operate at peak performance, he needs his best friend to be there with him. Otherwise the weight of his predecessors and the team’s expectations will crush him. 

He pulls out his laptop and sends an email to the coaches.

  


__

* * *

  


Nursey reads the email again. 

Dex has requested for him to be his alternate? 

He searches the Haus and finds Dex in the kitchen, carefully weaving a lattice. His face is scrunched up in concentration. 

“Hey.”

Dex’s hands still. He looks up. “Hey.”

“Did you ask the coaches to appoint me as the alternate?” 

“Yeah.”

Nursey stands in the doorway because he has no plan and wasn’t expecting to get this far. “That’s chill.”

Dex looks scared, which Nursey also was not expecting. “Was that a bad move? Should I have asked you first? Sorry I just got the idea and I couldn’t stop myself and—”

“Dex. Bro, it’s okay.” 

Dex relaxes, his shoulders easing to their natural position. “Oh. That’s good. I mean. I’m glad that you’re okay with it. I guess you wouldn’t do it if you _weren’t_ okay with it.” His words die in his throat when Nursey approaches.

“Is everything alright?” Nursey questions. “If you want to talk to me about anything, you know you can.”

Dex takes a deep breath, and momentarily abandons the pie. “I’ve just been really stressed ever since the banquet and I’m afraid to do this alone.”

“Dex, you’re not alone. You have the whole team behind you.”

“No, I know. I know, but I” — he drops his gaze to the floor — “I wanted to have my best friend by my side. I can’t do it without you Nurse.” 

“Oh.” Nursey puts his hand out, resting it against the counter to steady himself.

“Don’t you get it?” Dex shakes his head, lifting his eyes to Nursey’s. “I need you.” He smiles crookedly, and it goes straight to Nursey’s heart. “I need _you.”_

  


__

* * *

  


And so, when they return for their senior year, buzzing in anticipation for the first practice, Dex feels stable. 

He can be a hurricane, but Nursey is the eye of the storm and they are a force to be reckoned with.

“Hey Captain, you ready to go?” Nursey smirks, leaning against the locker room wall. 

Dex straightens his helmet and inhales deeply, letting his lungs and chest expand and then contract slowly. “Let’s do this.”

And together, they walk out onto the ice.

**Author's Note:**

> comments/kudos/bookmarks are always appreciated! :)
> 
> come say hi to me on tumblr [@omgdexnursey](https://omgdexnursey.tumblr.com/)


End file.
